Latest news with #Corser
Sky News AU
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Karl Stefanovic vying for new role as host of Nine's latest top ratings TV hit The Floor Australia amid contract negotiations
Karl Stefanovic is reportedly vying for a new role at the Nine Network's latest top ratings hit, The Floor Australia. On Friday, insiders at the network revealed the Today host, 50, wants to replace Australian actor Rodger Corser as host of the trivia game show. The Floor has proved popular with audiences and broke records when it premiered on April 28 with a total national reach of 2.22 million viewers. The family-friendly show has dominated the prime-time 7.30 pm slot since. Contestants battle it out in topics like Australian cuisine, famous characters, and gold medallists, which are flashed across large coloured tiles on the ground. Stefanovic wants to host the program after he featured in a promo for the prime time hit ahead of its premiere, sources told The promo saw Corser introduce the star who debated his Today co-host Sarah Abo on the topic of breakfast foods. Abo beat him in the first round, but he made a comeback in the second round, when the stars dueled over bands. Stefanovic's interest in taking over Corser's role comes as Nine is due to negotiate with him over his current $3 million contract. Sources told that the network's management was bemused by his interest in taking over the Doctor Doctor actor's hosting duties. It's said the 50-year-old thinks he is better suited to hosting the program than Corser, who secured the gig in October 2024. The Floor follows the popular Dutch version of the show, which was then emulated in the US, featuring 80s American actor Rob Lowe. When it premiered, the Australian iteration even topped Nine's A Current Affair, which recorded a much lower total TV national audience of 1,147,000. All 81 contestants on the show aim to challenge and win their neighbours' tiles and steal their area of The Floor. Whoever wins the entire floor will claim a life-changing prize of $200,000.
The Age
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Game shows are going wild right now. But will Australia back this worldwide hit?
It might be actor and presenter Rodger Corser's first time fronting a prime-time quiz show as host of The Floor, but he has some unexpected trivia experience up his sleeve. 'I used to host pub trivia 20 years ago,' he says. 'I remember 2006 being a bit of a lean year for me, so I was a short order cook at a cafe and doing pub trivia, just before I did Underbelly. Some people take pub trivia so, so seriously. We didn't have smartphones then … but people were cheating and so you had to rap them over the knuckles, just remind people that we're all here for a bit of fun.' His new show is certainly a bit of fun. Since The Floor format launched in 2023 in the Netherlands it has become a worldwide smash, with a reported 22 international versions (Rob Lowe hosts the US one) either currently airing or in the works. The fast-paced format has 81 contestants each starting on a tile on an LED grid as they compete for a top prize of $200,000. Each wannabe winner has their own chosen area of expertise, everything from dogs to the periodic table to quirkier topics like the kitchen drawer. The players compete in duels to knock one another out and gain more ground on the floor, with only one reigning supreme. There's a mix of everyday folk with familiar faces like Married at First Sight' s Jules Robinson and MasterChef 's Amina Elshafei peppered in. 'There is something for everyone because it has great gameplay,' says Corser. 'If you like strategic board games, there's that element. There's just straight trivia and general knowledge for other people. But [there's] also the way that a bunch of eclectic people interact when you throw them in one space. It's a great social experiment, so it's got the best part of a reality TV show as well. We don't go throwing wine glasses on anyone, but emotions are heightened.' Loading The Floor is part of a new generation of game shows sweeping the globe that are bigger, brighter and bolder than series of the past. In the US, Deal or No Deal has spun off into the larger-scale Deal or No Deal Island, which incorporates physical challenges and social gameplay – and yes, is set on an island. No longer content to simply open briefcases in a studio, these kinds of shows are competing in a crowded market and searching for hooks strong enough to grab viewers' attention. Corser likens the brightly lit, oversized spectacle of The Floor to a bustling sporting match. 'It's a really impressive set. You walk in and it's huge. It's as big as a small basketball stadium and there are screens and lights and cameras everywhere and the studio audience. It feels like a sporting arena.'
Sydney Morning Herald
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Game shows are going wild right now. But will Australia back this worldwide hit?
It might be actor and presenter Rodger Corser's first time fronting a prime-time quiz show as host of The Floor, but he has some unexpected trivia experience up his sleeve. 'I used to host pub trivia 20 years ago,' he says. 'I remember 2006 being a bit of a lean year for me, so I was a short order cook at a cafe and doing pub trivia, just before I did Underbelly. Some people take pub trivia so, so seriously. We didn't have smartphones then … but people were cheating and so you had to rap them over the knuckles, just remind people that we're all here for a bit of fun.' His new show is certainly a bit of fun. Since The Floor format launched in 2023 in the Netherlands it has become a worldwide smash, with a reported 22 international versions (Rob Lowe hosts the US one) either currently airing or in the works. The fast-paced format has 81 contestants each starting on a tile on an LED grid as they compete for a top prize of $200,000. Each wannabe winner has their own chosen area of expertise, everything from dogs to the periodic table to quirkier topics like the kitchen drawer. The players compete in duels to knock one another out and gain more ground on the floor, with only one reigning supreme. There's a mix of everyday folk with familiar faces like Married at First Sight' s Jules Robinson and MasterChef 's Amina Elshafei peppered in. 'There is something for everyone because it has great gameplay,' says Corser. 'If you like strategic board games, there's that element. There's just straight trivia and general knowledge for other people. But [there's] also the way that a bunch of eclectic people interact when you throw them in one space. It's a great social experiment, so it's got the best part of a reality TV show as well. We don't go throwing wine glasses on anyone, but emotions are heightened.' Loading The Floor is part of a new generation of game shows sweeping the globe that are bigger, brighter and bolder than series of the past. In the US, Deal or No Deal has spun off into the larger-scale Deal or No Deal Island, which incorporates physical challenges and social gameplay – and yes, is set on an island. No longer content to simply open briefcases in a studio, these kinds of shows are competing in a crowded market and searching for hooks strong enough to grab viewers' attention. Corser likens the brightly lit, oversized spectacle of The Floor to a bustling sporting match. 'It's a really impressive set. You walk in and it's huge. It's as big as a small basketball stadium and there are screens and lights and cameras everywhere and the studio audience. It feels like a sporting arena.'
